Perez looks for his eighth consecutive win, including his third straight in the UFC. But the Greg Jackson-trained fighter is a bit of an unknown. With a prime TV spot on Saturday’s card and the green light to don a custom luchador mask, which to him represents the warrior mentality, it could be a coming-out party of sorts.

White initially chalked up the mask as another stupid gimmick, which is why he nixed Perez’s request to wear one at both The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale and UFC 150 earlier this year. White finally relented for this weekend.

“You guys know how I feel about guys acting like idiots walking out to the octagon; I can’t stand it,” he said. “You’re going in there to fight. This isn’t pro wrestling. But he’s got a reason for why he does it, and they sat down, they explained it to me, and I’m cool with it.

“All the other goofy s— that happens? I can’t stand it. To explain to you how painful it is for me to sit there and watch a guy walk 25 feet to the octagon acting like a moron, it hurts me. It hurts me, and I can’t stand it.”

So, don’t expect Perez’s mask to necessarily open the door for other gimmicks.

“I guess it depends on the mood I’m in that day too, so if you wear something really stupid, you want to hope I’m in a good mood,” he said.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.